Rozen Maiden - Abgefallen (RE-DO)
by PatchyVoile
Summary: The Alice Game has never quite concluded itself. Dolls have been put to sleep, woken up, and fought. Again and again, this cycle has continued. However, in this era, with the awakening of the seventh doll and newcomers, will this change? Mix of Manga/Anime Universe. Includes more Rozen Maidens. (OCs) RE-DO from previous story!
1. PROLOGUE&CHAPTER ONE

_Rozen Ludenberg was a worldly man._

 _His travels often led him to different nations to encounter every kind of person, culture, and creed known to man. But, with the help of an anthropomorphic rabbit in a tuxedo, he'd been able to travel through time, as well. And that was far more interesting._

 _However, the purpose behind his time traveling escapades was not to enrich himself; he needed his Alice back. And the only way to do that was to sell his admittedly tainted soul to the rabbit and begin to create vessels to perhaps be able to hold her soul. So far, none had succeed._

 _They were dolls, and they were perhaps the most beautiful dolls in all the world. Rozen was also a talented maestro. But none of them had proven worthy enough to hold the sublime Alice's untarnished soul just yet. And thus the 'Alice Game' was born. They would fight to the death for the opportunity to join him in immortality as his daughter and become Alice, the perfect girl._

 _So far, he had sent several off._

 _The first had a rough beginning. He had chosen to name her Suigintou, a name he found fitting for her mature appearance and long, silvery hair. He had also made the decision to painstakingly handcraft her a pair of working wings. No sooner than he wound her up for the first time did he discover that was a mistake, however, when she cried out in pain as the wings burst from her back and shards of her delicate body shot across the room. It was a setback large enough for him to_ _place_ _Suigintou in the storeroom for a while, and quit. But she had found her way out looking for him, even without her piece of Alice's soul, so Rozen decided she was worth_ _y_ _of_ _play_ _ing_ _the game, attempted to fix her up, and sent her off._

 _The second had a much less eventful beginning of her life. The name Kanaria, he thought, suited her whimsical appearance and childish nature. She was a beauty, most certainly. Two green, drill shaped curls were pulled tightly on either side of her head, to match her intelligent, sharp green eyes. She was dressed in yellow and orange, and was one of only two of the dolls who he decided to put in pants, which added to the original intent behind her design. She would also be musically gifted, he decided. Cunning, witty, a_ _virtuoso_ _, and beautiful…but she still could not hold Alice's soul on her own. She was given a piece, and sent off with a beautiful violin,_ _his favorite instrument._

 _The third and forth, he decided, would be his most valiant attempt thus far. Between the two of them, no desirable trait would be missing._ _ **One**_ _of them would have to be able to hold Alice's soul, right? And so Suiseiseki and Souseiseki, named after the beautiful gems they would resemble, were born. The older was very feminine. Long, medium brown hair came straight down to her waist, and then separated there to form two, large curls which extended down to her bottom. She was put in a very long, green dress, with intricately designed lace. Her eyes were a heterochromatic combination of green and red, which he would also give to her twin. When Suiseiseki could not hold Alice's soul on her own, he was disappointed, but did not yet give up hope. Now, it was Souseiseki's turn. She was to be the most boyish one yet. Perhaps that would be her charm. A dark blue outfit with pants and white lace was what she was put in. Her hair was cropped short, barely touching her neck, and was not curled. Her eyes were also green and red, though they mirrored her twin's, and as a final touch a top hat was placed on her head. But, for the forth time, Alice's full essence was rejected. So the two twins were each given a piece, a gift of a green thumb and the ability to tend to the human conscience, and away they went._

 _After a bit of a break, Rozen was struck by inspiration from a dream. He felt like he could create a vessel that would more accurately resemble Alice in many ways. And so Shinku, the fifth, was born, and a beautiful ruby she was indeed. Her facial features were a little more rounded and childlike than the third and forth's, but she was not childish by any means. She was to be a proper young lady. Blonde twintails ran down to her_ _calves_ _, so long that a good deal of Rozen's energy was expended on making sure they stayed put while he worked._ _She was placed in the most beautiful wine colored dress and bonnet, and a green bow was wrapped around the top of the bonnet, connected under her chin, and adorned with a pendant displaying his face. Her bright blue eyes were stunning, and he was sure they would give her the power to intimidate, seduce, or whatever else she may desire. He was certain Shinku would be the one. But once again, the soul was rejected. After cursing, and nearly destroying his office in a fit of rage, he gave her a piece, the ability to create his favorite flower, and she was off._

 _Perhaps Alice had not been such a proper lady? Rozen was clearly losing his mind, and his ability to remember Alice well enough to create a doll that resembled her in any way whatsoever, but he had to try. And so Hina-Ichigo, the sixth, was born. She was even smaller than Shinku and Kanaria, and would be even more childlike and carefree. Big, blonde curls donned her head, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he realized that, in the future, she would often be adoringly compared to_ _Shirley Temple. This doll would be sweet, empathetic, but perhaps childish to a fault, and occasionally even a little selfish. She was dressed in an adorable pink dress and a large, matching bow was placed on her head. Her red, ballet resemblant shoes were definitely the nicest he'd created so far, and added to her cute appearance. Perhaps this little one could be Alice? He lovingly crafted her a pair of green eyes with that in mind, but the soul was rejected before it even got anywhere near Hina-Ichigo. He cursed, unable to hide his frustration. However, this doll was clearly a contender regardless, so he gave her a piece, the ability to create his favorite fruit—the strawberry—and she was complete._

 _For over a year, Rozen lost the urge to continue on. But his heart ached for Alice more and more as the days drug on, so he began to think. Laplace no Ma, for the first time since he created Suigintou, paid him a visit, and offered a rather intriguing suggestion. He would put Rozen to sleep for a little while, and call upon whatever last deep memories he had of Alice. From there, he would spin a doll out of dreams, and perhaps she could become Alice. And so the seventh, and perhaps the final, Kirakishou...was born._

 _But nightmares overtook dreams, overtook memories…_

 _God was she ever a beauty. There was no denying that. But she scared Rozen, and perhaps even Laplace, although it was impossible to tell. White tresses, tinged with pink, floated down to her bottom. A white, bell shaped dress and long boots covered just about her entire body, which was perfectly made._

 _But a gold, catlike eye stunned Rozen out of speaking to her, and in the other socket was something even worse. A rose…_

 _She was tainted with Rozen's insanity. She could not be Alice, not at all. With an attempted loving goodbye, explanation of purpose, and the ability to create his favorite flower on a vine, he locked her in her own N-Field. And truth be told, he could not find it in himself any longer to care how she felt about that arrangement._

 _And that incited his longest break yet. Eight years went by. His family, whatever was left of it, began to wonder where he had gone._

 _"You have a brother," Laplace mentioned matter-of-factly one day, letting his usually riddle-filled prose slide._

 _"Yes," Rozen answered coldly. "Enju."_

 _Rozen and his brother did not have a good relationship, and they probably never would. Why was Laplace bringing him up now?_

 _"He has a daughter," Laplace continued calmly. "Were you aware?"_

 _Rozen's expression softened. No, he had not known Enju either settled down or had a child. As much as their relationship was strained, he wanted to have a relationship with his niece, at least. She would—after all—be Alice's cousin._

 _"Her name is Anja Ludenberg," Laplace answered Rozen's unspoken question. "She is turning ten in just a couple of months. A bright one, she is. She resembles your Alice in quite a number of ways."_

 _And so it was settled. Although it was painfully awkward to do so, he sought out Enju, and got to know his wife and child. His social skills had severely dwindled over the years, but Anja seemed to take a liking to him, especially when she found out he was a doll maker like her father._

 _One morning, while he was watching her, Anja suddenly stopped playing with her toys and grinned at him._

 _"What is it, child?" he asked, slightly startled._

 _"Are you a better doll maker than father?" she asked, the question seemingly innocent._

 _"Why do you ask that, child?" he felt too uncomfortable to answer her directly._

 _"I want to see some of your work," she pressed, and so he showed her._

 _"Uncle," she began sweetly, after venturing throughout his entire workshop. "My birthday is coming up in a couple of months. I would love it if, perhaps..."_

 _"I made you a doll?" he finished with a smile. "I would love to."_

 _Truth be told, it was almost entirely petty revenge. He did love Anja, but the opportunity to prove himself superior to his brother once again was his main goal._

 _But what would he create?_

 _Perhaps...two dolls. One doll would resemble Anja in personality now. She would be headstrong, tough, and full of humor and wit. She wouldn't take life too seriously, but still be impressive. The other would show Anja what she perhaps needed to work on before she became a woman. She would be highly intelligent, feminine, graceful, and know when to hold her tongue. And so, Yuki-Koori and Fumiko were created. On a cold winter day, while practicing bisque firing, he got inspiration for Yuki-Koori's looks. Soon enough, long, silvery hair ran straight until it hit about three inches to her bottom, and from there it was pulled into soft curls. A thick, hooded capelet sat on her shoulders, over a freely flowing white dress that was only cut off by a grey, corset-resemblant piece at her middle. He crafted mittens and winter boots perfectly sized for her doll hands and feet, and a surprisingly wise looking pair of bluish grey eyes to finish her off._

 _And he was surprised. This doll could easily be a competitor in the Alice Game; he had not expected her to turn out this well. Still shocked, he moved on to Fumiko. She would be his little librarian. Her dirty blonde hair was relatively short, although not as much as Souseiseki's, and had a wavy texture that Rozen carefully manipulated. On her head was placed a white mop cap, a hat Rozen always found endearing, and rested on her nose was a small pair of glasses. For an outfit, he decided to give her very florid, but traditional, Japanese wear. She was placed in a purple kimono with a delicate rose print and sleeves teeming with the finest lace, a white band around her middle, and purple boots. Once again, his years without releasing creative energy had helped him create a masterpiece._

 _He looked at the wooden box across the room. There were still pieces of Alice's soul left, meant for when he intended to create more dolls and enter them in the game. But perhaps now was the time to divide the last part between the two little dolls, and send them off to Anja with both the purpose to be her companions and compete in the Alice Game._

 _He lifted Yuki-Koori up gently from her seat, where she was slumped over and asleep, and held her close. He knew she could feel that she was loved, even despite not being truly living yet. He sat her down on his work bench, and retrieved a last piece of Alice's essence to let it gently enter her body. Then, he wound her up._

 _Slowly, her springs began to crack and whine as they came to life for the first time. Rozen almost felt shy, getting to meet this one for the first time, although he could not fathom why. He held his arms out to her, as he did for his seven previous Rozen Maidens, and she carefully began to move towards them._

 _But then...she stopped midway there, alarming her father._

 _"Yuki-Koori, darling?" he began hesitantly. "Are you awake?"_

 _Ever so slowly, she opened her eyes, and fixated them upon her father. "I'm awake, dad. And I'm really, really hungry."_

 _Rozen chuckled. So her personality would be clear from the beginning._

 _"Just let me wind up your sister," he said. "Then we'll talk...and eat, I suppose."_

 _"Sister?" Yuki-Koori questioned curiously. "I think I could feel her around me. Let me see her."_

 _He brought Fumiko down to Yuki-Koori's level so she could examine her, and then wound her up after giving her the very last piece of Alice's essence. She had a little trouble gathering her bearings at first, but with the help of a surprisingly eager Yuki-Koori, she went from being as wobbly as a baby deer to graceful enough to be a ballerina in just a few minutes. Rozen smiled, swelling with pride. But this could not last long. He did not want to give them any more attention than he had given the first seven; they needed to have the same idea of who he was. A respected figure, but a mysterious one. He explained their purpose, which Fumiko understood more of, fed them (at Yuki-Koori's continuous request), and finally put them back to sleep and sent them off. One would have the ability to manipulate the snow and the ice she was inspired by, and the other could wield guns, a stark contrast to her otherwise feminine and delicate appearance. And they were the last two Rozen Maidens._

 _Now Rozen sat back, consumed with grief and longing, and waited._

* * *

If there was one thing Yuki-Koori, the eighth doll of Rozen maiden, was sure of, it was that she had a very low tolerance for bullshit.

This low tolerance was so low, in fact, that she was about to whack the human kneeling in front of her and weeping on the back of the head. She rarely ever resorted to violence, which was a bit ironic when her purpose in life was considered, but when she very badly needed to enter a covenant with someone and they were so frightened that they were in tears, she couldn't help but be a little grouchy.

She let out a large sigh, knowing deep down that she should exercise some patience. After all, the boy in front of her was clearly a child, and a very young one at that. He could be no older than ten, she noted quietly as she looked over him once more. His messy, sandy brown hair touched the nape of his neck, and his eyes were so green they almost resembled candy. This was the seventh time in her long, four hundred year life that she had to enter a covenant with a human, but she never remembered one being so afraid of her. She didn't think she was much to fear. She barely stood at three feet tall and it wasn't as if she looked like _Chucky_.

"Hey, kiddo!" she snapped. "I don't have all day, y'know. You're the one who answered Hyoukai's call, so why are you still crying?"

"I didn't answer any call!" he wailed. "I don't even have a phone. Mom won't let me have one. She says I'm too little."

Before Yuki-Koori could comment on just how very little she understood what this boy had just said, the door to his room swung open to reveal a teenager who appeared to be the boy's sibling. Her long, brown hair nearly touched her bottom, and her eyes were the same green color as the boy's.

"What's all the yelling about?" she grouched, before laying eyes on Yuki-Koori. "Well, gosh. Nice doll, Takumi. I didn't know you'd picked up such an interest. And she looks so expensive, too."

"It's nice to meet someone who guesses 'doll' before 'Devil spawn'," Yuki-Koori joked with a large grin. "Do you have any idea how terrible it is to be showered in holy water as soon as you wake up for the first time in a gazillion years?"

The girl jumped back, hands flying up to protect herself as some poor defense mechanism. "S-She can _talk_? Where the hell did you get this doll, Takumi?"

"I didn't get her!" Takumi snapped. "She keeps saying she's my prize for a contest, but I didn't enter any contest! Takana, I _don't_ like dolls. Please don't tell mom and dad."

Realization suddenly dawned on Takana as she remembered the strange call she'd received a few days prior. It wasn't a heavy breather on the line, but it was equally as strange. Whoever it was had told her she'd won a contest, and asked her whether she would 'wind' or 'not wind'. Confused but intrigued, she had chosen to wind. The mysterious person then congratulated her, and told her a prize would be waiting in the mail in just a few days time.

"This is my prize," Takana mumbled. "A freakin' living doll. I think I need to lay down for a few hours. Or days."

Despite their awkward introduction, in just a couple of hours, they were starting to become comfortable with Yuki-Koori's presence. She hated explaining the Alice Game, though, so she had put that off. Right now, all they knew about her was that she was indeed a living doll, and her name was Yuki-Koori. But they did have to know more if she intended on entering the covenant with one of them, so eventually, she turned to the two siblings, and hesitantly began to talk about the Alice Game. Takana eyed her patiently, but warily, and Takumi was full-on upset that the doll had been subjected to such a fate, for reasons Yuki-Koori could not guess.

"How many sisters do you have?" Takumi blurted out, that being the first question on his mind because he could not imagine having more than one.

"Eight, last time I checked," Yuki-Koori responded uncertainly. She knew her father might create more dolls, if pieces of Alice's soul were left after he sent her off, but in the last era there weren't any more. "There's Suigintou. She's my oldest sister, and she's super cranky and mean. Then there's Kanaria. She's all pigheaded and thinks she's the best, but she's okay _sometimes_. After that there's the twins, Suiseiseki and Souseiseki. Suiseiseki's bossy, but I like her every now and then. Souseiseki is more focused on the Alice Game, and we left off on bad terms last time we met, so I like her less. Number five is Shinku, and she's super level-headed and focused too. Sometimes our sisters are jealous of her, because she was clearly dad's favorite. Hina-Ichigo is next. She's all babyish and cries a lot, but she's actually real tough when you piss her off. I learned that the hard way. And then..."

Yuki-Koori paused. She had still not met the seventh doll, nor had any of her sisters. It was starting to become a little bit worrisome. They had no idea what her name was, what she looked like, or what her power could possibly be. They only knew that she existed, somewhere.

"You were on number seven," Takumi offered politely when her silence continued.

"I've never met the seventh sister," Yuki-Koori smiled nervously. "I'm hoping she isn't super strong or mean."

"Oh," Takumi frowned, looking nervous as well. "Well, who's number nine? Who's the last one?"

"Fumiko," Yuki-Koori answered sadly. "She's my favorite sister, but I don't think she's awake yet this era. She's booky and says a lot of big words, but she's a total pacifist. I have to make sure she doesn't get her ass kicked constantly, but I love her anyway."

It was quiet for a moment as the two siblings attempted to process what they'd just been told. Takumi looked as if he were trying to commit it to memory, and Takana was wondering what a fight between two dolls would look like. It was almost a humorous picture to her when she thought about how small and well-dressed she was, but seeing as—from what Yuki-Koori had told them—they would die by fighting each other, maybe it was actually scarier than it sounded.

Then, Takumi remembered something Yuki-Koori had been talking about earlier.

"Hey," he spoke up hesitantly. "What was all that about a covenant?"

"Oh, that," Yuki-Koori grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about this, but, I'll be needing to live here from now on, and I'll need one of you to enter a covenant with me. It has no rules other than I'll need to use your energy to fight when I have to, and I have to stay near you most of the time."

Takumi suddenly looked excited. "Really? Maybe I could-"

"Sorry, shrimp-o, she's mine," Takana butted in front of Takumi. "Okay, what do I need to do?"

Yuki-Koori smiled at the disgruntled Takumi. "Sorry about that, 'shrimp-o'. She did answer Hyoukai's call. And you're too much of a shorty to give me much energy."

"So not fair!" Takumi whined.

Yuki-Koori held her dainty hand out to Takana, and a bronze ring in the shape of a rose materialized on it. Both siblings gasped.

"Kiss the ring," Yuki-Koori commanded. "And we shall be bound together as doll and medium until this era ends. Or whatever."

Takana leaned down slowly, and placed her lips against the ring. Instantly, a brilliant, white light consumed the room around them, and all three were blinded. Takana cried out as the heat coming from a newly formed, similar ring on her hand became almost unbearable. Yuki-Koori tried to apologize, but she was overcome by the flow of energy from Takana's body to hers, and could not longer speak. Takumi, unsure of what to do, attempted to comfort his sister as the light finally died down.

"I-I'm okay," Takana brushed him off. "Will it always hurt like that?"

Yuki-Koori shook her head. "No, not like that. Entering the covenant is the hardest part."

"That's a relief," Takana laughed a little. "Because that was really damn painful."

"Thank you," Yuki-Koori said sweetly, battling her lashes for added effect. "What'cha want in return, dear new medium?"

Takumi pulled on Takana's sweatshirt sleeve. "Tell her we want to ask more questions!"

Takana rolled her eyes, even though the suggestion was a good one. "Alright, fine. Can we ask you some more questions, Yuki-Koori?"

"Ask away," Yuki-Koori said with a nod and sat on top of her case, unable to help but enjoy the fact that her new medium had become comfortable with her so quickly. It sure did save her a lot of work. "I'll ask some questions, too."

Takumi, of course, spoke first. "How old are you?"

"Hm," Yuki-Koori placed a finger under her chin thoughtfully. "I don't remember the exact year I was born, but I know I'm somewhere around four hundred years old, and I was born in the early 1600s in Germany."

They were both openly astonished.

"Wow," Takumi clasped his hands together in delight.

"How old are you guys?" Yuki-Koori asked in return.

"I'm nine," Takumi replied a little glumly. "But I'll be ten soon!"

"By 'soon', he means in almost six months," Takana replied with an eyeroll. "I'm fifteen, and I actually will be sixteen SOON."

Yuki-Koori laughed. "Okay, that's cool."

"How is it, exactly, that you fight?" Takana asked, still unable to picture it.

"Well, we can all fly, which helps," Yuki-Koori answered with a laugh. "And we all have powers."

"Double cool!" Takumi exclaimed, no longer able to sit still. Yuki-Koori stifled a snort. It had been a long time since she'd been around a child of his age, but they had hardly changed a bit, apparently. Even though Takana was her medium, this Takumi boy (despite his declaration of doll-hatred) seemed practically mesmerized by her at this point. And that he was. "What are your powers? Can one of you control _FIRE_?"

"Geez," Yuki-Koori rolled her eyes. "So enthused is the doll hater. Suigintou can control feathers. I've also seen her make her wings into dragons, which is damn scary. She's the only one of us who has real wings, so she flies better, but they tear up her back."

"Aw," Takumi frowned.

"Kanaria makes destructive sound waves with her violin, Suiseiseki controls plant vines, Souseiseki controls the gardener's shears, Shinku controls rose petals, Hina-Ichigo controls strawberries on vines, I control snow and ice, and Fumiko has guns—although she sort of needs some work on her aim." Yuki-Koori explained hastily, as she was beginning to miss some of her sisters, and the sometimes playful fights they had.

"I think yours is the coolest," Takumi laughed. "Pun totally intended!"

Yuki-Koori snorted. "Yeah, you're going to be fun to have around."

Suddenly, an obnoxious sound graced their ears, and they all covered them simultaneously.

"What the hell is that?" Takana grouched. "Is that the kid who lives upstairs, Takumi? He just got his new instrument the other day, and he can't play it any better than the old one. What was it, though…?"

"Uh oh," Yuki-Koori froze. It hit her instantly what the noise was, and as the window began to crack and whine against the increasingly irritating noise, she put up a barrier of ice pillars around Takana and Takumi. Sure enough, the glass in the window shattered seconds later. Yuki-Koori shook her head irritably; Kanaria had not changed at all. She had always used crazy tactics to begin the Alice Game, and some had almost killed her sisters' mediums, even though they were under strict instruction by Rozen not to harm any humans to the best of their ability.

"Alright, you little shithead," Yuki-Koori grumbled. "Show yourself."

Kanaria lowered herself so she could been seen through the window, sporting a sly grin.

"Ever the uncouth sister you are, miss Yuki-Koori. Be a lady for once and watch your mouth, maybe?" Kanaria said lightheartedly. "I just thought I would show you what our predicament happens to be right now, y'know. I live just upstairs now!"

"And maybe you won't be living at all much longer," Yuki-Koori snapped. "If I hadn't been thinking quickly, like I usually am, you could have killed my new medium and her brother. You are such a pain in the ass, Kanaria."

"Well," Kanaria frowned. "Well sorry! I have to make a grandiose entrance, y'know!"

"Come here," Yuki-Koori commanded. "Now."

Kanaria hesitantly came inside, and Yuki-Koori wasted no time in rushing up to her and yanking on her hair.

"I missed you, big head!" she sang. "How long ago did you wake up?"

Kanaria pulled on Yuki-Koori's hair back. "Just a couple of weeks ago, maybe. But I've got a lot done!"

Yuki-Koori's eyes widened. "Did you actually succeed in starting the Alice Game?"

"Well, no," Kanaria mumbled, now embarrassed. "But I was able to find out who's awake this era, so I can carefully plan their demise! You, Shinku, Hina-Ichigo, and Suigintou! Ohohoho!"

"How are you planning mine?" Yuki-Koori asked, rolling her eyes. She knew Kanaria did not really have the guts to start the Alice Game until something much bigger happened.

"I'll never tell," Kanaria giggled. "Come visit me sometime, maybe. My new medium is the best; she's probably way better than yours!"

"Uh-huh," Yuki-Koori said with a smile. "Go on now. We'll catch up more later. And fix that window before you attract a local news station...again."

"I'll come back later for your Rosa Mystica!" Kanaria chirped, heading back out of the window as her artificial spirit frantically tried to fix it. Yuki-Koori lowered the pillars of ice, realizing suddenly that she should have done that after the window was broken. Boy, they were probably cold by now.

"W-W-Was that your s-sister?" Takana stammered, rubbing her arms furiously.

"Kanaria," Yuki-Koori answered with a sigh. "She's a brat, but I love her. Sorry you had to meet her that way, but if it makes you feel any better, that's how all my mediums have met her. I consider it sort of an initiation at this point."

"Did we pass?" Takumi asked, still cheerful and intrigued as ever.

"Since you're not running away in fear, yeah," Yuki-Koori replied. "Did you have any more questions? Or can I go to sleep?"

Takumi hummed thoughtfully. "What's your favorite color?"

Yuki-Koori snorted. "Okay, goodnight guys."

"Wait!" he exclaimed. "Don't go yet. Takana and I were going to have some hot chocolate and cookies downstairs before bed. Do you want some?"

"Takumi, she's a doll," Takana sighed exasperatedly. She'd definitely had more than enough of her brother for one day.

"Actually, I can eat. And I will definitely eat that."

Later that night, after Yuki-Koori climbed in her case and fell asleep (and promised Takumi that she wouldn't be unwound by morning), Takana was sitting alone in her room and attempting to catch up on some homework. This had, by far, been the strangest day of her life, but she was now wondering if that could be a good thing. As far as major life changes went, Takana thought, rooming with a living doll was probably one of the better ones. She glanced at the ring on her hand, and then at Yuki-Koori's case, laying on the ground next to her bed. Her backstory was difficult to swallow. How could a man who had the talent to create such loving, animated creatures, throw it away by forcing them to kill each other? Would she eventually have to watch Yuki-Koori die? Or kill all of her sisters, including the one who'd shown up earlier? She shivered at the thought. She hoped she would be strong enough to protect this doll, at least.

Regardless, though, life had become a lot more interesting.

* * *

 **A/N: I'M BACK BITCHES! I don't think anyone realized I was gone though. I decided to re-do this story on a whim, so lord only knows if I'll continue it or if it'll beat it's predecessor and reach the end.**

 **-PatchyVoile**


	2. CHAPTER TWO

Yuki-Koori was never quite sure if she felt completely safe in her dream world or not.

However, it was unarguably a beautiful place. A large castle, which she was currently inside of, was the centerpiece. Outside of the many windows, she could see a steady amount of snowfall, as always. There was a forest that, if traveled deeply through enough, led to a warm spring. The inside of the castle was somewhat liberally decorated. To even her own shame, in the corner of the front room sat a Christmas tree, always lit and inviting (she enjoyed Christmas tremendously, despite the only deity-like creature she worshiped being her own father). Strewn across the room were usually picture books from Fumiko's library that she 'forgot' to return, although right now those had long been returned to their owner. It was a little messy, but that was of no surprise to any of her sisters.

She made a face, remembering why she didn't always feel safe here. Suiseiseki and Souseiseki did have the advantage of entering any of their dream worlds, hassle free. Souseiseki had come often to propose a fight; she did not much love (or even like) Yuki-Koori. They butt heads too often in previous eras to be civil, and in the last it was the worst. Souseiseki had almost taken her life, and Fumiko had almost taken the younger gardener twin's in return. Needless to say, as she sat alone here, she was afraid that she wouldn't be for long. However, Kanaria had said neither of them were awake yet. Although she was a very, very unreliable source of information, she would believe her now, for the sake of her own sanity.

What a day it had been, though. It always felt that way after waking up and entering the covenant again, but something felt a little off.

Oh, right. Fumiko, who was usually awake long before her, wasn't awake yet. A long sigh erupted from her lips as she ventured into a kitchen-like area and looked for something to eat. She always found the concept slightly nonsensical, since she was eating in her sleep by simplest explanation, but...she was hungry, which overrode any need for sense. By the time she finished her crêpes and milk, however, she could feel something pulling her back into the real world. She opened her eyes sleepily, only to scream when all she could see was a pair of green eyes in front of her face.

Takumi jumped back. "What? I was just coming to see if you were awake!"

"I would have left my case if I was awake, Takumi," she snapped. "Thanks for scaring the actual _shit_ out of me. Shouldn't you be in school by now?"

He shook his head. "I woke up with a fever, so I'm staying home today."

Yuki-Koori did not understand any mechanisms of the human body well, but she knew that a 'fever' meant he was probably battling a seasonal cold of some sort. When he started to sniff, this theory was confirmed.

 _"Gross,"_ she thought tiredly as he continued to stare her down pretty happily for someone who was sick. _"And this kid said he hated dolls, but here he is, being annoying."_

"What do you want to do today?" he asked politely as she glared at the floor.

"Now, I ain't an expert on humans," Yuki-Koori began with a raise of an eyebrow. "But shouldn't you stay in bed today? You're not going to get better following me around. And you'll spread your icky kid germs around."

"Rude," he commented with a pout. "And where are _you_ going to go? Don't you have to stay near m-...Takana! She left for school an hour ago! Are you going to be okay?"

Yuki-Koori rolled her eyes. "All of us Rozen Maidens usually have mediums in school. We've all been fine in the past. And I'm going to seek out the rest of my sisters today, while their mediums are in school, so they can't fight me. Brilliant, eh?"

Takumi looked unimpressed. "What if their mediums are adults?"

"...Kiss my ass, kid."

Takumi scowled, but was cut off by a sneeze before he could respond further.

Yuki-Koori's expression softened slightly. "Go get in bed, kid. Remember your fluids and blah blabbity blah."

"Yes, ma'am," he responded lightly, heading for the door. "Be safe out there today and come back before dinner. Takana's making Tempura and soup for dinner because our parents are out of town. You'll like it; she's a really good cook!"

Yuki-Koori smiled slightly and nodded, noting that his enthusiasm seemed to be unending. As she took one last look into his piercing, green eyes, she realized he reminded her quite a bit of Hina-Ichigo. And with that, she ventured out into the world beyond her medium's apartment. She remembered that Kanaria had mentioned she lived just upstairs, but, she wasn't quite in the mood to deal with her eccentricity right now. So, she continued on to find Shinku and Hina-Ichigo. Suigintou was obviously out of the question.

"Hyoukai?" Yuki-Koori called upon her artificial spirit. "I need some help."

 _"What is it, mistress?"_ the spirit questioned. _"Ah, goodness, are you beginning the Alice Game already?"_

"It's like you don't know me at all," she responded flatly. "Uh, no. I'm looking for Shinku and Hina-Ichigo. I wanted to catch up with them. You know where they are, don't you?"

 _"_ _Down the street, around that last corner, turn right, scale the side of that pool, and just up that street is the house of Sakurada Jun and Nori,"_ Hyoukai explained hastily, unsure of why its mistress wanted to 'catch up' with the dolls she was supposed to be fighting. _"The boy is Shinku's medium."_

Yuki-Koori made a face. "Hina-Ichigo has no medium, and lives with Shinku now? What went down there?"

 _"_ _Hina-Ichigo did have a medium until two days ago,"_ Hyoukai began as Yuki-Koori followed its directions, and tried not to be seen too much. _"She did not appreciate the fact that her medium left during the day for school and kendo practice, so she tried to trap her in her N-Field. Shinku noticed and started a fight with her, which Shinku won after Hina-Ichigo exhausted the medium's energy. Instead of taking her Rosa Mystica, she decided to let Hina-Ichigo draw energy to live through her and the boy. I assume she knows Hina-Ichigo won't be fighting much. It's a temporary fix, clearly, but it buys Hina-Ichigo some time. Perhaps your father will choose to let her keep her Mystica when and if the era ends."_

Yuki-Koori quietly attempted to absorb what she'd just been told. "Damn, Hina. That's dark, trying to keep your medium with you forever."

 _"I don't agree with Shinku's choices, either,"_ Hyoukai continued, clearly a little miffed. Although the spirit did not have too much of a personality all its own, it knew what the rules of the Alice Game were. _"She's pushed the Alice Game back, she disobeyed your father's rules, and for what? Sentimentality? I doubt she cares for Hina-Ichigo that dearly."_

"There was a time that we were all tight like that," Yuki-Koori reminded her spirit, who she was surprised was being so openly hateful (it usually kept a neutral opinion of things). "Shinku, Hina, Sui and Sou, Fumiko and me. We all used to have a lot of fun together in the very, very beginning. It all went to hell really fast, but I remember it. Don't you?"

 _"I try not to,"_ the spirit said. " _It made you happy I'm sure, but you will not believe the verbal lashing us spirits got from Rozen."_

"Forgive me for not pretending to care," Yuki-Koori deadpanned. "You know I've never been much of an actress."

Hyoukai 'accidentally' bumped into Yuki-Koori's head, but they arrived at the Sakurada household before she could hit it back. Yuki-Koori probably had the worst relationship with her artificial spirit out of all of the Rozen Maidens, but she still appreciated it most of the time.

The house looked rather inviting. It was a bit on the older side, or so it appeared, at least. The sun had disappeared behind a large cloud formation just momenets ago however, making her just a bit tense as she gazed at the front of the house. What would be awaiting her inside? She hadn't seen Shinku since the early 1900s, and Hina-Ichigo in even longer. Had they formed a truce, and would they try to tag-team her?

"And now, I will make my grand entrance, and begin the Alice Game..."

Yuki-Koori jumped, letting out a shriek at the sudden declaration coming from somewhere in front of her. She settled down once she realized it was Kanaria, sitting near the window on the uppermost floor of the house, and now gazing down at her in shock.

"Kanaria," Yuki-Koori addressed her sister warily. "Dare I even ask what you think you're doing?"

"Alice Game," she replied meekly. "I guess Kana's plan wasn't so masterful after all..."

"Do you want to come inside and, you know, be civil?" Yuki-Koori offered. "That's what I'm going to do, I think."

Kanaria shrugged, jumping down from the window and landing beside Yuki-Koori. "Don't you know we're supposed to be fighting, Yuki? Kana knows you're one of the _younger_ dolls, but don't be such a stupid idiot, maybe."

"Am I supposed to be hurt by being called a 'stupid idiot'?" Yuki-Koori deadpanned, although she was, just a little. "We don't _have_ to fight yet. All nine of us aren't awake yet. Or so YOU told me."

"And Kana was right!" Kanaria snapped. "Just you, Kana, Shinku, Hina-Ichigo, and Suigintou!"

Suddenly, from in front of them, the door swung open. Both dolls jumped back in shock, half expecting a human to be standing there, gazing down upon them in shock, but it was not. It was, however, something equally as terrifying. There stood Shinku, in all of her regal glory, exuding coldness. She must have heard them arguing and decided to investigate. Hina-Ichigo ever so slowly appeared from behind Shinku, cautiously examining the situation with wide, scared eyes and a trembling bottom lip.

"You needn't be scared, Hina-Ichigo," Shinku said calmly as she looked the two over once more. "It appears the eighth doll is awake. And she brought another."

"You have GOT to me kidding me, maybe!" Kanaria wailed. "I am KANARIA. Your sister, your second sister, your **AWESOMEST** sister. Don't tell Kana you don't remember her!"

Shinku stiffened slightly. "Oh. Kanaria, then. I suppose I do remember the last time you caused us trouble."

Hina-Ichigo's expression brightened. "Hina remembers you, Kanaria! You used to play with Hina and Corinne sometimes, a reallylong time ago! _Comment allez-vous_?"

"Yeah, yeah, doing great," Kanaria looked away, embarrassed that Hina-Ichigo had brought up that they used to play together. If she didn't look wimpy in front of Yuki-Koori and Shinku before, she sure did now. She wanted to slink away, but it was probably too late for that now. And starting a fight would just be strange, after she had been civil thus far.

"Do you remember me?" Yuki-Koori asked hesitantly. Although she wouldn't admit it aloud, it would hurt her feelings if Hina-Ichigo and Shinku didn't really remember her. Yuki-Koori didn't wish for a lot, she was generally quite content, but she always hoped she left a lasting impression on whoever she met.

Shinku smiled slightly, sensing her need to be remember. "Yes, I remember you as well. The eighth doll, the infamous 'Snow Princess'. How have you been?"

"Well, y'know how it always is with me," Yuki-Koori responded, rubbing the back of her head embarrassedly. "I just woke up yesterday, so everything is still a little funky-feeling."

Hina-Ichigo, who had seemed to be thinking while the two were chatting, suddenly began bouncing up and down excitedly. "I remember you now, Yuki! We used to play together, too! But, but...we did fight once..."

"Well, aren't you glad it went nowhere so you can see my beautiful face again?" Yuki-Koori joked. "It's nice to see you again, Hina. I missed you."

Shinku took a surreptitious glance at her pocket watch before gently placing it back in her pocket. "It is not exactly what I would call a beautiful day outside, and it is almost lunch time. If you would like to stay longer, come inside with Hina-Ichigo and me."

Kanaria's mind was racing a thousand miles an hour as she tried to think of a way to outsmart her three sisters and either get away or fight them, but it suddenly came to a halt as she felt the ground move from below her. Shinku's eyes widened slightly as they met with Kanaria's fear-filled ones.

"What is the ma-"

Before she could finish speaking, Kanaria's limbs began to be pulled underground.

"HELP ME!" she squeaked frightenedly. "Don't just stand there y'know!"

"You're lucky your big ass is keeping you in place there!" Yuki-Koori snapped as she grabbed one of Kanaria's arms and began to pull. The force that was pulling her beneath the surface, however, increased in force. The last thing she could feel was Hina-Ichigo pulling on her waist as a last ditch effort to help Kanaria before all four of them were pulled underground. Yuki-Koori barely had the chance to let out a scream before she landed. She heard two more thuds, and one soft landing, before she could open her eyes. So all four of them had made it, wherever they ended up. She let out a small sigh of relief.

"That was a rabbit hole," she heard Shinku say. "And this is an N-Field. It...is one I have not seen before."

"Unyuu," Hina-Ichigo groaned quietly as she attempted to stand up and gathering her bearings. "It's not Suigintou's field? Hina was for sure she was going to hurt us again..."

At the mention of the eldest sister's name, Kanaria shivered. "W-Well, this isn't her field, so we're probably fine. And we would be anyway, because Kanaria is here!"

"Very strange," Shinku murmured. "I've encountered so many N-Fields. But never this one."

It was a very majestic looking field. Several pillars, filled with candles, lined a long hallway until they touched the center room. Red seemed to be a color that whoever owned the field favored, right up to the red throne. As Shinku dared to venture closer, and Kanaria followed close behind in an effort to maintain some of her dignity, the former noticed that the throne was slowly becoming engulfed in flames. Yuki-Koori felt her legs to turn to jell-o beneath her, but she dared to move forward, safely behind Shinku. What must it feel like to be relied on so heavily, as Shinku was? She felt bad when she noticed the three of them were all cowering behind Shinku, who must be at least a little concerned as well. Slowly, she stepped forward, beyond Shinku.

"What are you doing, Yuki-Koori?" Shinku asked warily, unable to move forward any more with Hina-Ichigo and Kanaria each clinging on one of her arms. Kanaria had apparently given up looking tough, and was now entirely consumed by fear. She would sure regret this later, Yuki-Koori noted with an inaudible snort.

Yuki-Koori held her hands out, and seconds later, an icy blast shot out of her palms and encased the chair, stopping the flames in their tracks. The relief the dolls felt was short lived, however, when the flames immediately came back with a vengeance, and with them…

A doll.

Hina-Ichigo cried out in terror, and Shinku threw her arm back to push her out of harm's way as the doll charged towards them. Kanaria whipped out her violin and whipped around to get behind the doll, as she seemed to be fully focused on Yuki-Koori. Yuki-Koori, ever the agile one at the very least, jumped up into the air and grabbed the doll by the chest, shoving her back with another icy blast. The doll cried out in pain, but she was not deterred for long. Shinku jumped in then, rendering the doll unable to move as she shot so many rose petals at her that she could not catch her breath. She stopped again once the doll fell to her knees in pain.

"Who are you?" Shinku asked coldly, realizing they may have been a little quick to act. Still, she wasn't about to be pleasant.

The doll looked up weakly, letting out a spiteful laugh. "You do not remember me, Reiner Rubin? I thought it was about time we catch up again. It's been hundreds of years. You were practically newly born when we last met."

Shinku froze in place, eyes widening and memories flashing before her eyes so fast she struggled to keep her calm. This was Sekihi, a doll older than all of them, perhaps even an entire milennia old by now. She looked over her, attempting to maintain her characteristic steely gaze. The doll looked the same as she did four hundred years ago. Her black hair, dark as a raven, touched her chin, but was now slightly messy from battle. Her eyes, brighter red than the center of hell, were squinted in anger. Her brown dress, beret, white stockings, and blue high-heeled shoes had not been changed, either—not that most dolls changed their looks. That, however, is why she was shocked she had almost forgotten her. Sekihi had no honest ideas of who her creator was, nor did Shinku.

"You know this little demon?" Yuki-Koori grouched.

"Unfortunately," Shinku answered dully. "She is Sekihi. I do not know who her creator is, but she is not a Rozen Maiden. I also do not know why she pulled us down here to meet with her, so I do hope she informs us soon. I would rather not miss lunch."

"Well, don't be a stranger when I took so much effort to bring you here," Sekihi said with a grin. "Introduce me to your sisters."

Shinku eyed Sekihi irritably, as she still had not really answered her question. "Yuki-Koori, Kanaria, and Hina-Ichigo. They are the eighth, second, and sixth dolls of Rozen Maiden respectively. And I must ask that you do not bring harm to them when you have no place in our Alice Game."

"I don't much enjoy that one's power," Sekihi complained, pointing at Yuki-Koori. Yuki-Koori stiffened in response. "I had to react accordingly."

"And I had to react accordingly to you attacking us," Yuki-Koori grouched. "Can we go home now? I'm hungry."

Sekihi licked her lips. "I'm not particularly fond of casual encounters, 'fraid to say. Someone has to get hurt. Or...perhaps die?"

Before the maidens had time to react, Sekihi grabbed Yuki-Koori by the neck. Immediately, her throat began to burn, and she shrieked in pain as she desperately tried to pull her off.

"Don't hurt my sister, Sekihi!" Hina-Ichigo howled, sending up enough strawberry vines to completely wrap around the doll's body. She dropped Yuki-Koori in surprise, and Kanaria rushed up to her as she lay limp on the wooden floor below. Hina-Ichigo clenched her hands into fists to tighten the vines, and Shinku further trapped her in a bush of rose petals. Kanaria's eyes widened in shock as she realized Yuki-Koori was not moving at all, and her neck was singed. The fire must be even worse on her body than any of the rest of them, and Sekihi definitely knew that.

Just as Sekihi was able to break out of Hina-Ichigo's vines, the floor ripped violently out from under them. The next thing Yuki-Koori felt as she drifted in and out of consciousness was wet grass under her. The next thing she saw was Hina-Ichigo's concerned face staring down at her as she held a bag of ice against her neck.

"Are you awake, Yuki?" Hina-Ichigo asked gently. "You were sleeping. Sekihi hurt you really bad..."

"I can feel that," she croaked. "Is Shinku around?"

"I'm right here," Shinku spoke up mildly. "What do you need?"

"How bad is it?" she asked. "And does that girl have something personal against us?"

"Your neck is scorched," Shinku said hesitantly. "It...should go away eventually. And I would say so. She desires to compete with us. However, she's only ever met Souseiseki and I. She only comes around every once in a while, since it's rare that she comes across anyone who will wind her up. I suppose I'd call that having a vendetta against us in particular, though she seeems to be simply unpleasant in general."

"I believe ya," Yuki-Koori grunted, sitting up and rubbing her sore neck. "Thanks, Hina, but you don't have to."

Hina-Ichigo leaned into Yuki-Koori's side. "Hina doesn't like all this. Suigintou's already a meanie, and now we have to deal with Sekihi, too? It's not fair..."

"Life isn't fair, y'know," Kanaria said stiffly. "Now if you'll excuse Kana, I've got a crazy medium to get back to. Um, feel better soon, Yuki. I'll leave your Rosa Mystica alone for now while you get better."

Yuki-Koori nodded, waving as Kanaria quietly escaped the Sakurada household, just in time for Nori to walk up to the door, exhausted from school and Lacrosse practice and covered in rain, but looking as cheerful as ever. She stopped as she came across the dolls and looked upon the ashen newcomer in shock.

"Shinku, who's this?" Nori asked. "And she looks so sad...is she okay?"

"She's a sister of mine," Shinku answered casually. "Yuki-Koori. And she was hurt in a fight today. Not by me, of course. I wouldn't be so uncouth that I'd burn her neck."

Nori's eyebrows creased with worry. "She's burned? Is there something we can do to help?"

"No," she said. "Aside from making dinner. We missed lunch."

"Oh," Nori smiled a little, placing her bag and Lacrosse gear down as they came inside. "Say, Shinku...did Jun come out of his room at all today?"

Shinku shook her head. "Not today. I suppose he'll come down soon, since I'm sure he felt Hina-Ichigo and I using his energy."

Nori looked at the smallest maiden in shock. "You fought, too, Hina? Who is this villain, anyway?"

"Sekihi!" Hina-Ichigo piped up. "She's a living doll, too. And she tried to hurt us today, so I had to be strong and fight!"

"W-Well, I'm proud of you, Hina," Nori attempted to sound so, even though the Rozen Maidens and their lives were so odd to her, even as open-minded as she was. "I'll make flower-topped hamburger just because you were so brave today. You're welcome to stay for dinner, too, Yuki-Koori."

"I'd like to, but I have a medium to go home to who promised me some great dinner tonight," Yuki-Koori cracked a smile. "But I'll come back soon."

"Good," Hina-Ichigo said with a nod. "Then we can play!"

Yuki-Koori left that evening with mixed feelings. On one hand, she was almost riduculously happy that her sisters had defended her and each other like they did, happy to see them again, happy that it was almost like old times. But on the other, who the hell was Sekihi, really, and how long would her neck be covered in scorch marks? Noticing its mistress was deep in thought as she walked home, Hyoukai came out to offer her some comfort, or advice. Whichever she may need it would do, although it knew it was more than likely neither.

"I owe you a good smack, y'know," Yuki-Koori addressed her spirit coldly. "What do you want, Hyoukai?"

" _Just...well...are you okay, mistress?_ " It asked timidly.

"I'm alright," Yuki-Koori sighed. "I just forget sometimes that there are other dolls are out there, and some of them are powerful."

Self-conscious now, she tied her capelet tighter around her neck, so the scorch marks weren't visible.

 _"Your father would apprehend her or her maker, or Laplace would intervene, if she really hurt one of you,"_ Hyoukai reminded her. _"What she did today might even be enough. No one is allowed to interfere in the Alice Game that way."_

"I sure hope you're right, for all our sakes," Yuki-Koori said, suddenly grinning. "Did you see Hina? I haven't seen her be that determined to fight in forever."

 _"I'd tell you to be wary, but as far as the Alice Game goes she's virtually already eliminated,"_ Hyoukai responded meekly. _"So I suppose I'll say what you want me to. It was so cute!"_

Yuki-Koori rolled her eyes. "You're such a sarcastic asshole, Hyoukai."

 _"Learned from the best."_

"Yeah, yeah," Yuki-Koori waved her spirit away playfully. "Let's just get home and eat. I don't care what happens in a day, I'll never NOT want to eat."

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter was harder to write, for some reason. Hopefully it's still okay. At least I'm still going strong. :P Thank you to ThanosofTitan and Akihanatsu for the reviews; I'm glad you're liking it so far! And the rest of you (because I check the views, I know you're there) don't be shy! Tell me what you think; I accept criticism too!**


	3. CHAPTER THREE

After two weeks of living with Takana and Takumi Moriya, Yuki-Koori was beginning to learn them, and their little habits, very well.

Takana would often sing to herself in the shower, and sometimes Yuki-Koori couldn't help but sit outside of the door and listen, or join in softly when she thought she couldn't hear. Takumi still liked to have bedtime stories read to him by his mother, which Yuki-Koori also found herself listening to very frequently, unable to help it when she missed Fumiko so much. Takana, she was also learning, was a lot like Yuki-Koori herself in many ways.

However, due to Takana's busier schedule, she did end up spending a lot more time with Takumi. Today, Takana was late coming home once again as she practiced for the school dance recital, so Yuki-Koori was sitting near the edge of Takumi's bed as he did his homework for the evening, gazing out of the large window beside them. She had pulled her hair back and into a ponytail and removed her capelet and shoes in an attempt to get comfortable, but all it seemed to do was make it harder for Takumi to concentrate.

"Do I want to know why you've been staring at me for the past fifteen minutes, or will it make me want to hurt you?" Yuki-Koori deadpanned as she turned towards to the boy, who was now very embarrassed that he'd been caught.

Yes, that was something else about Takumi. Everything about Yuki-Koori's existence, for some reason, completely enthralled him. He did not know why, but he felt compelled to protect her, say kind things to her, and just...be her friend.

Takumi wasn't exactly unpopular in school, but he was occasionally ridiculed for being small for his age, and a bit childish. It was a bit hard to find friends, and although Yuki-Koori did often threaten him (and he usually deserved it, for staring), he was sure they were friends. So, with that in mind, he wanted to make her happy.

"It's the joints, in your shoulders," he admitted, hiding his flushed face in his math textbook. "I didn't know you were a ball-jointed doll."

"Take a picture; it'll last longer," she replied coyly, turning away so he couldn't see her own embarrassed expression.

"Actually, can I?"

"...Wha-What?"

Takumi frowned. "Well, look at my wall."

Yuki-Koori looked around the four walls of Takumi's room. Sure enough, he did seem to keep a lot of pictures of his friends and family up there. He was a very sentimental little boy. It almost warmed Yuki-Koori's heart, since most of the boys his age she had met before were rambunctious, rude, and practically allergic to being sensitive about anything. He certainly was something special. So she would comply, even though she hated having her picture taken.

"We're friends now, so I want to have something to always remember you by," he explained halfheartedly, pulling something off of his bedside table. It was a light blue Polaroid camera, although it did not resemble the models Yuki-Koori had come to know in the previous era she'd been awake. The fact that they were still around surprised Yuki-Koori a little, but she decided not to question what vintage items kept kids in this generation interested.

"Alright," Yuki-Koori sighed. "Let's get it over with."

Takumi pulled Yuki-Koori close and sat her on his lap, adjusting her until he was sure both of them would be in the picture.

"Say cheese!" he commanded with a laugh, holding up a peace sign and grinning at the camera. Yuki-Koori smiled tepidly and held up a peace sign of her own until she heard a soft ' _click_ ' noise that meant the picture had been taken. In a few seconds, the camera spit out the picture, and Takumi frantically began shaking it until they both showed up. The setting sun had captured a sort of a sweet glow on the two of them, and although Yuki-Koori couldn't help but crack up at how dull her smile was compared to Takumi's excited grin, she did like the picture.

"I guess I like it," she said quietly. "You should make a copy later so I can keep it in my case."

Takumi's smile intensified. "You mean it?"

"Well, we're friends, ain't we?" Yuki-Koori retorted, sticking her tongue out.

Takumi stuck his tongue out back at her, but he frowned immediately after. "Hey, wait. What are those marks on your neck?"

Yuki-Koori cursed under her breath. She had almost forgot that removing her capelet meant that her still unhealed neck was exposed.

"I got into a fight with another doll," she explained reluctantly. "She grabbed my neck and burned me. I forgot the marks would still be there. It's been a couple of weeks."

Takumi's eyes widened in fear. "I thought you said none of your sisters could control fire!"

"None of them can," Yuki-Koori shook her head in disgust as she remembered Sekihi and her radiant, red eyes. "But the Rozen Maidens aren't the only living dolls in the world. We're probably the best, because our father is the world's most talented doll-maker, but we're not the only ones. Apparently, this one wants a place in the Alice Game. But I bet my dad intervened on my behalf. Or Laplace no Ma...riddled her to death, I don't know. Either way, don't worry about her. I haven't heard from her since."

"Please, take care of yourself," he begged.

"Been doing it for about four hundred years," she attempted to console him nonchalantly. "You know, I think I'm spending more time with you than your sister. Hard to believe she's the one that's my medium."

"Well, I WANTED to be your medium," Takumi reminded her with a frown. "But you wouldn't let me."

"It's more work than it looks like, kid," Yuki-Koori said meekly, remembering how badly she'd exhausted Takana after the fight with Sekihi. She'd barely been able to make the dinner she promised. "You have to give up a lot of your energy. I guess it ain't nice to say about myself, but I'm sort of like a parasite."

"But you're a cute parasite," Takumi taunted the doll, pinching her cheek. Yuki-Koori opened her mouth to bite him, and he removed his hand just before she chomped down. "And totally vicious, sorry I forgot to mention that! Geesh!"

Once Takumi fell asleep for the night, Yuki-Koori ventured into Takana's room for company. She was still working on her homework, even though it was now after ten, icing her shoulder…

And in the splits.

"You..." Yuki-Koori began. "You are a really talented human, Takana."

"Thank you," Takana chirped. "If I'm going to work my brain out, I might as well keep the rest of me warmed up."

"How did practice go today?" Yuki-Koori asked. "You were gone for a long time. I had to spend all afternoon with your dorky little brother."

Takana snorted. "Sorry about that. It went well though, aside from the fact that my shoulder is killing me now. But you just have to pop it back in back in place and keep on keeping on, you know?"

Yuki-Koori gagged at the thought. The human body was strange on the outside, but the insides were probably stranger.

"Well, it works if you have the pain tolerance of a grown adult, anyway. Hey, are those ball joints? I didn't know you were ball jointed."

"I don't take my clothes off much," Yuki-Koori chuckled. It was true, though. Now she was only in her undergarments, since she figured all of her clothes could use a good wash. Luckily, that was decided after Takumi had fallen asleep. She didn't want to think about how much he'd be gawking at her if she took more than her capelet off. "Your brother stares too much. And he ain't the first of my mediums to do it, either. Human boys are depraved."

"Oi," Takana groaned, shaking her head. "I worry about that kid."

Yuki-Koori sighed, attempting to remove the ponytail holder from her hair so she could go to bed. When it snapped, unleashing her now messy hair and putting a red mark on her hand, she couldn't help but whimper. Takana laughed a little, pulling Yuki-Koori into her lap as she got in bed and running a brush through her hair gently. Sensing what had probably been bothering her earlier, she took the two longest pieces of hair next to her bangs and pulled them back to braid them, keeping them out of her eyes.

"My hero," Yuki-Koori breathed a sigh of relief. "I was about to scream. I love my dad, but he made me the longest hair out of all of our sisters, and I hate dealing with it."

Takana stopped brushing for a moment, unable to help but think about what she just said. How could she still love the man who had condemned her to either fight or die?

"How do you still love him?" she asked quietly, almost so much so that it took Yuki-Koori a minute to figure out what she said.

"I don't know, to be honest," she shrugged a little, climbing down from the bed and heading for her case. "He's the only reason I exist. I don't have a 'mother'. Just him. All I remember about him is that he's blonde, German, probably crazy, and that he poured a hell of a lot of love into me. But that's enough for me. That's all I need to be happy, knowing he's out there somewhere."

"I guess I'll try to understand one day," Takana mumbled, clearly at a loss for words. "Night, Yuki."

"Night, Takana," Yuki-Koori returned, opening her case to get inside. However, a small, square object caught her eye before she could get in. She picked it up, and instantly smiled at her and Takumi, covered with a warm, orange glow.

Maybe pictures weren't so bad after all.

* * *

"Uuu," Hina-Ichigo mumbled to herself as she looked upon the sleeping Jun Sakurada, who she'd been trying to wake up for almost twenty minutes now. "Ju-un! You have to wake up now!"

Jun rolled over, away from Hina-Ichigo. He really did not feel like dealing with either of the two dolls living in his house today; he didn't feel like dealing with life at all right now. Shinku had eventually given in and asked Nori to make the morning tea, but Hina-Ichigo was adamant that Jun wake up to play with her. She was lonely, and Shinku wasn't very good company until Detective KunKun came on each afternoon. Still, it seemed like she wasn't going to get her wish. Her heart ached for Tomoe. Hina-Ichigo did love Jun, but Tomoe would get out of bed to play with her. Tomoe would do a lot of things that Jun seemed to have an aversion to, for some reason. Hina-Ichigo didn't know too much about Jun, if she were honest about it. While Nori left for school every day, as did Tomoe, she had not seen Jun go to school in the whole time she'd been living in the Sakurada household. He did not have a club to go to, and did not seem to have human friends, either.

She thought for a moment. Maybe she could become closer to Jun by getting to know him better?

"Jun," she said again. "Why don't you go to school every day like Nori?"

Jun's heart stopped, and he cursed under his breath.

"You should go, Jun," Hina attempted to encourage him. "Hina thinks Jun could join a computer club. Would you be happy then?"

" _NO, I WOULD NOT,_ " Jun snapped, scaring Hina-Ichigo. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. "It's none of your business why I left school, so don't ever ask again! Get out of here, Hina-Ichigo!"

Hina-Ichigo left the room wailing, alarming Shinku, who had been sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Whatever is the matter now, Hina-Ichigo?" she asked, frowning. "You are quite the noisy servant."

"J-Jun yelled at me!" she cried, plopping on the couch next to Shinku sadly. "All Hina did was ask him why he doesn't go to school like Nori and Tomoe do..."

"That is a sensitive subject for Jun," Shinku said simply, though on the inside she cringed. "You must remember to be tactful when dealing with humans, Hina-Ichigo. They are more delicate than we are in that painful memories sometimes leave permanent scars. It is highly unlikely that Jun will ever remember school in a positive light after what happened to him there."

"What happened to Jun there?" Hina-Ichigo asked, her face sporting an expression of utmost concern. Shinku smiled softly. As much as Jun thought no one cared about him, she wished somehow he would realize who did.

"Nori's best way of explaining it to me, without feeling like she was giving away personal family matters, was that Jun was publicly humiliated after being recognized for sewing a dress for a girl to wear," Shinku explained hesitantly. "And you should not go around and announce that to everyone, either. I merely told you because you are living here like me."

Hina-Ichigo frowned, now knowing she should apologize to Jun. She didn't mean to hurt his feelings like that, after all. She cautiously ventured back upstairs and into Jun's room, and was surprised to see him out of bed, showered, dressed, and browsing the Internet.

"Who is it?" Jun asked halfheartedly as he continued to run a towel through his wet hair with one hand and maneuver the computer mouse with the other.

"H-Hina just wanted to apologize for making Jun mad," Hina-Ichigo spoke quietly, probably the quietest he'd ever heard her speak. " _Je suis d_ _é_ _solé_ _,_ Jun; Hina just wanted to know more about you..."

Jun's expression softened then. He felt guilty for yelling at Hina-Ichigo like he had. She had, even if it was indirectly, motivated him to at least get out of bed and sort of act normal for the rest of the day, and he had yelled at her.

"Yeah, don't be," he mumbled. "I was an ass for yelling like that. Not much of a morning person these days."

"Jun just has to find the little things that make him happy, and hold on to them so tight," Hina-Ichigo said. "That's what Hina does. Even though sometimes Hina feels sad because she can't see Tomoe anymore, or because she lost the Alice Game, there are lots of things to be happy about!"

"It's just easier said than done, you know?" he couldn't believe he was having a somewhat serious conversation with Hina-Ichigo, but it was happening. "I don't feel right sometimes, ordering all of this useless junk online, dropping out of school in Junior High, and never making life easy on anyone. I feel like a worthless pain in the ass for it."

"But it makes Jun happy," Hina-Ichigo reminded him. "Do you remember when you got the big, BI-IG package in the mail yesterday? Jun was smiling for hours!"

Jun was slightly embarrassed that she had noticed, but it was true. He had received a big package in the mail yesterday, with more 'cursed' items, and it had made him pretty damn happy. He had even come downstairs to eat dinner with Nori and the dolls without realizing it was odd for him to do so until Nori had started to cry.

"But you can't just do everything that makes you happy all the time, right?" Jun wondered. "I'm a Junior High drop out with no future right now. I should be terrified. Hell, I kind of am. But I just want to do what makes me happy. Is that wrong, or isn't it?"

Hina-Ichigo shook her head. "Hina doesn't think it's wrong. But maybe Jun should do a little bit of work and then have a little bit of fun."

Jun snorted. "Yeah, also easier said than done."

"Well, Jun, most things in life are," Shinku, who was now standing in the doorway, said. "Especially the things that are good, that are worthwhile. They are all difficult to achieve. But you alone must believe you can do it. The support of others will mean nothing if you yourself do not believe you can do it."

"The support of others would be nice, though," Jun grumbled, mostly to himself.

"Your thick skull prevents you from seeing it," Shinku began. "But that sister of yours does everything for you, so that you can get better. You have all the support in the whole world, and now it is time for you to do your part, Jun."

Jun was left thinking about what she said for the rest of the day. Yuki-Koori joined them at some point with the intention of bugging him a little and spending some time with her sisters, but he couldn't stop thinking long enough to acknowledge her presence.

"What the hell is wrong with that boy today?" Yuki-Koori wondered aloud as she, Shinku, and Hina-Ichigo watched re-runs of Detective KunKun downstairs. Nori had found the entire first season on DVD at a thrift shop and bought it for Shinku. "He's acting stranger than usual."

"Contemplative, perhaps, but not strange," Shinku replied. "He has a lot to think about. It is best if we leave him alone."

"Nice to see you being so kind to your manslave," Yuki-Koori responded with a snicker. "I for sure thought he was going to lose his mind the last time I was over, when we all wanted to be waited on."

"Yes, well, that kind of thing is good for Jun once in a while," Shinku responded, turning her nose up slightly so Yuki-Koori could not see her smile. Jun was slowly, but surely, improving as a person. What that was due to was beyond her complete understanding, but she was quite relieved regardless. Although she would never openly admit it, she had come to care for Jun. Although they were polar opposites, it couldn't be helped. The bond between medium and doll would always become strong, but Shinku had initially been a bit worried. She hoped that Jun would continue to grow and improve, and eventually return to school and resume his studies.

But...for now, she would live one day at a time.

As the three continued to watch Detective KunKun solve the mystery of a lifetime, scowling as Madame Rabbit attempted to woo him into believing she was _not_ an accomplice to murder, Yuki-Koori noticed something she had to mention, even if Shinku did not appreciate interruptions.

"You know," she began, immediately earning a sour look from Shinku. "Sorry! It's just that, I noticed that rabbits always seem to be so—ya know—terrible and stuff. Laplace and Madame Rabbit would make a good evil duo."

Shinku raised an eyebrow, slightly impressed by the observation. "I think you just might be right. Although, Laplace no Ma is more morally grey, perhaps."

Yuki-Koori shook her head. "Uh-uh. Totally evil."

"Super evil!" Hina-Ichigo agreed fervently, clutching the KunKun doll nestled between them a little closer. As the evening drew to a close, and Shinku just nearly remarked on how positively uneventful the evening had been, something hit the front door with all the force of an elephant, and the glass began to crack. Shinku immediately took a protective stance over her sisters, cautiously venturing over to the door once the glass had settled. Could this be Sekihi again, back for Round Two? Or perhaps Suigintou? No, Suigintou would never enter so brashly. Much like Shinku, she valued class to the extreme.

"Reveal yourself immediately," Shinku commanded coldly. Through the pile of glass, she could vaguely see a case. It was one of the sisters. That narrowed it down, thankfully, but she was still wary.

"That so hurt," a small voice mumbled from inside the case. Slowly, the top was lifted, revealing it was indeed a sister.

The third doll, Suiseiseki, was now awake.

"Suiseiseki," Shinku blurted out, astonished. "Why in the world would you enter that way?"

"Yay, Suiseiseki's awake!" Hina-Ichigo cheered, earning an immediate scowl from the gardener.

"I was so in the biggest hurry!" Suiseiseki began to sob suddenly as she answered Shinku's question. "Souseiseki's in trouble!"

At the mention of Souseiseki's name, Yuki-Koori flinched. However, she was curious as to what trouble Souseiseki had gotten herself into. She was usually a doll that could handle herself (Yuki-Koori had learned that the hard way), unlike Suiseiseki, who was a little more of a nervous and weaker doll when she wasn't being mischievous and taunting her younger sisters—with the exception of Shinku, obviously.

"What is the matter?" Shinku inquired hesitantly, but no sooner than she did, Jun came running downstairs with a concerned look on his face.

"Shinku!" he yelled. "What the hell? Another rotten little doll ruined the damn window?"

Suiseiseki's eyes welled up with tears, and she glared up at Jun. " _I. HATE. HUMANS!_ You are all just so horrible!"

Jun jumped in shock, and Shinku raised both eyebrows in open astonishment at Suiseiseki's rash behavior. "Suiseiseki, you need to sit down and explain to us what happened. Behaving rashly only wastes more time. What happened to Souseiseki, and does it have anything to do with that declaration you just made?"

A few minutes later, they were all sitting around the coffee table in the living room with tea and snacks (made by a very unwilling Jun), and things had calmed down a little.

"Are you ready to explain?" Shinku asked after she'd daintily nibbled on the edge of a cookie.

"Well," Suiseiseki began uncomfortably. "Souseiseki and I were looking for a master a few weeks ago, and we finally found one around here, yes. But we _so_ didn't know what we were getting into there. An old man and woman live at the house, but the old woman is in a coma that she fell in after she lost her son, Kadzuki, in a car accident. The old man is so lonely, yes, and he thinks Souseiseki is his long lost son. All I hear, all day and night, is 'Kadzuki, Kadzuki!', and I'm so sick of it! He's draining the life out of her, and I swear it. He won't let her sleep in her case; he keeps her tied up all day so she can't leave, yes…and Souseiseki's so damn loyal that she won't leave."

Hina-Ichigo's eyes were wide as saucers, and Shinku could hardly contain a gasp. Yuki-Koori was even speechless, for once in her life. As much as they had fought, knowing that someone was treating her sister that way still lit an angry fire in her. They had to resolve this, immediately. She didn't know what Souseiseki was thinking. She could easily remove herself from that situation, and chose not to. Not only was she putting the Alice Game on hold by doing so, which is something Yuki-Koori never thought she'd do, she was putting herself right out in the open to be killed by any sister. She was relying solely on the fact that they wouldn't find her. Souseiseki's greatest trait and fault was that fact that she was so loyal, but Yuki-Koori never thought it would be her complete undoing.

"Well," Shinku, as always, pulled herself together and remained composed. "I do have one idea, but it could do just as much harm as good."

"Yes?" Suiseiseki wondered meekly. "What is it?"

"I could begin the Alice Game with her," Shinku said, earning herself three bug-eyed expressions. "Listen for just a moment. She needs to be reminded that she has other, more important duties than keeping the old man company. Tragedy is part of the human existence, and she has to realize that her loyalty to Father should come before all else. If I fight with her, perhaps she will realize that once again."

"But you could kill each other, yes!" Suiseiseki protested.

"Yes," Shinku agreed. "That is always a possibility. But Souseiseki is most likely greatly mentally and physically weakened from her circumstances, and you all will be coming to try and talk her down if the fight goes too far. And obviously, I won't be actually trying to fight to take her Rosa Mystica."

"That..." Yuki-Koori's mind was scrambled, and she had trouble expressing her thoughts aloud, but she knew that this was probably the best idea any of them could come up with. "You know, it's honestly not a terrible idea. It's probably our only option, isn't it?"

"Let's do it."

 **A/N: I listened to Kanye West almost the entire time I was writing this chapter, so I can not be held accountable if it came out badly.**

 **Kidding. I think. Thank you once again to ThanosofTitan and Akihanatsu for the reviews. I hope that you continue to be satisfied, and I hope more of you come forward and review soon, but I can't ask for much when the RM fanfic section is dead as a fossil. ^^;;**


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